A Diner with No Doors
By W.P. Eichler
The man sitting by himself was hired to follow the guy
wearing a suit that was almost identical to his own.
That guy, let’s call him Jim, had been staying late at work every night
for three weeks and Jim’s wife had been getting suspicious.
The woman in the red dress, let’s call her Jenny,
met Jim at a bar down the street from this very diner,
and she thinks she’s in love.
But if the man sitting by himself knows anything, and he knows a lot,
Jim will run back to his wife within the month.
Jenny will be devastated, heartbroken, she’ll be
back at this diner every night for weeks. She’ll order the same thing
she got when she was here with Jim, a cup of decaf and a turkey sandwich,
and sit in the same seat she always sat in when she was here with Jim,
because the hurt isn’t so bad when his feeling is still in the place he used to be.
The man sitting by himself will see her there most nights,
because he just really likes this diner, they’ve got the best peach pie.
He knows Jenny pretty well at this point, because he talks
to her every night, even after he’s gotten paid and the case is solved,
because she’s a nice girl who deserves better than a man who’s alright
with breaking two hearts just so he can fill up his own.
He won’t leave anytime soon. He’s got nothing to do and
the guy who works at the counter knows him by name.
He’ll think about buying Jenny a drink. Or maybe
they can share a slice of pie.
Maybe if she’s here tomorrow night...